What is memory?
The ability to store and retrieve information
Memory is not unique to living organisms; it also describes artificial information-storing devices.
What type of amnesia involves losing the ability to form new memories?
Anterograde amnesia
H.M. suffered from anterograde amnesia after his surgery.
What are the two basic types of amnesia?
- Retrograde amnesia
- Anterograde amnesia
Retrograde amnesia involves losing past memories, while anterograde amnesia involves losing the ability to form new memories.
What brain regions are important for storing new memories?
The hippocampus and temporal lobes
These regions are crucial for the ability to store new memories for life events.
What is the difference between implicit and explicit memory?
- Implicit memory: unconscious or unintentional memory
- Explicit memory: consciously retrieved memory
Explicit memories can be declared, while implicit memories are expressed through actions.
What is procedural memory?
Memories for skilled and goal-oriented behaviors
Procedural memories include motor skills and habitual behaviors.
What is priming?
The process where exposure to a stimulus influences a response to a subsequent stimulus
Priming can be perceptual or conceptual.
What are the two divisions of explicit memory?
- Episodic memory
- Semantic memory
Episodic memory involves personal experiences, while semantic memory involves knowledge of facts and concepts.
What is the serial position effect?
The tendency to remember the first and last items in a series better than the middle items
This effect consists of the primacy effect and the recency effect.
What are the three stages of memory processing?
- Encoding
- Storage
- Retrieval
These stages are essential for transforming experiences into memories.
What is consolidation in memory?
The gradual process of memory storage in the brain
It involves alterations in synaptic connections.
What is long-term potentiation (LTP)?
The strengthening of a synaptic connection
LTP serves as a model of how neural plasticity might underlie long-term memory.
What are flashbulb memories?
Vivid memories of the circumstances surrounding a surprising or emotionally arousing event
Examples include memories of 9/11 or significant personal events.
What is the encoding specificity principle?
Any stimulus encoded along with an experience can later trigger a memory of that experience
This principle highlights the importance of context in memory retrieval.
What is prospective memory?
Remembering to do something at a future time
An example is remembering to give a message when seeing a specific person.
What is retrieval-induced forgetting?
When retrieving an item from long-term memory impairs the ability to recall a related item
This can occur when trying to remember multiple related items.
What is the dual-coding hypothesis?
Information that can be coded both verbally and visually will be remembered more easily
This hypothesis emphasizes the benefits of multiple forms of encoding.
What is retrieval-induced forgetting?
When retrieving an item from long-term memory impairs the ability to recall a related item in the future
Example: Remembering one person’s name at a party makes it difficult to recall others’ names.
List the best ways to ace exams.
- Prepare for and attend class
- Distribute your learning
- Elaborate the material
- Practice retrieval
- Overlearn
- Use verbal mnemonics for rote memory
- Use visual imagery
These strategies enhance retention and understanding of material.
Who conducted early research on memory using nonsense syllables?
Hermann Ebbinghaus
He demonstrated that most information is forgotten quickly, within a day.
What is proactive interference?
Old information inhibits the ability to remember new information
Example: Studying psychology before anthropology may impair performance on the anthropology test.
What is retroactive interference?
New information inhibits the ability to remember old information
Example: Freshly reinforced anthropology material may hinder recall of psychology material.
Define blocking in memory.
Temporarily unable to remember something
Common examples include forgetting a song title or someone’s name.
What is absentmindedness?
Results from the shallow encoding of events
Often caused by failing to pay attention.
